Have your say in the future of Hart House by voting in the Hart House Committee elections. Each committee at Hart House provides opportunities for students to create experiences and build communities with a focus on: Music, Art & Creativity, Social Justice & Civic Engagement or Wellness & Recreation. Committees organize events, from social gatherings and guest lectures to musical events and hands-on activities and also shape the future direction of Hart House.

Hart House Committee Chair Candidates

Chloe Yin and Eugenia Wong / Art Committee (co-chair)

Joint Statement: Over the past year, we have served on the Hart House Art Committee as executives and we have continued the tradition of opening up opportunists for students to expand their knowledge in Art History and participation in Toronto’s Contemporary Art scene. In the upcoming year, we are hoping to collaborate with art councils of the Scarborough and Mississauga campuses to improve our accessibility to a wider group of people. We hope to strengthen the diversity of our activities, ultimately striving to explore and push the boundaries of art-making to a whole new level.

Venus Wang / Debates & Dialogue Committee

Personal Statement: I truly believe in the power of debate and dialogue. They bring communities together, and give students a voice. I have two years of experience on this committee: I understand the importance of setting big goals, the careful planning it takes to meet them, and the ability of small, logistical details to make an event exceptional. I’ve worked closely with Hart House administration in various capacities, such as coordinating travel, registration, and accommodations for 14 tournaments this year for the Debating Club. I’ve invited amazing speakers for our annual Alumni Debate in March, and have been the point-person for Hart House Communications for a cumulative three years.

Next year, I hope to host a repertoire of thought-provoking events, and invite speakers with all kinds of stories: events that acknowledge the land, our history and the future, from art to economics, to conflicts and justice, both in Canada and beyond.

Emily Wuschnakowski / Debates & Dialogue Committee

Personal Statement: Respectful debate and dialogue is essential to learning and understanding new ideas. In electing me, Emily Wuschnakowski, as the chair for the Hart House Debates and Dialogue Committee, I will bring my previous experience of being on this council to the table as well as my public speaking, communication, and organizational skills. In doing so, I will be able to work with others to plan and execute respectful discussions between experts on issues that are important to our community. I also have a passion for expressing my ideas and helping others do so, making me a candidate who not only will organize events, but do it well. I believe one of the most important things that we can do is create an environment where everybody’s opinions are heard. If elected, I will work to ensure that this committee creates opportunities for the meaningful exchange of ideas and perspectives for all.

Andrew Irwin / Debates & Dialogue Committee

Personal Statement: As Treasurer of the Debates and Dialogue Committee this past year and as a voting member in the year prior I have gained insight and experience as the second-in-command on the Committee. As Chair, I look forward to supporting an environment of expression and building upon our best year of events in recent memory.

The Committee was immensely proud to welcome some fantastic individuals to Hart House this past year, including Dennis Edney, Marie Henein, and Premier Kathleen Wynne on March 1st. As Chair I hope to continue our tradition of hosting events on topics of law and policy, while expanding our scope to host discussions on culture and issues with specific importance to UofT students. Through surveys and feedback, I will be ambitious in understanding and exploring conversations relevant to the university community such as national identity and immigration, the arts, and media, while continuing to host renowned speakers.

Arunoshi Singh / Debates & Dialogue Committee

Personal Statement: Hart House Debates & Dialogues Committee has a great history of showcasing relevant issues in engaging ways. I hope to continue this legacy.

If elected, I would aim to build upon our existing connections and relationships from previous years and further our momentum in developing this committee’s place as a leader in organizing important, accessible discussions. In my year on this committee we have organized well attended and interesting events featuring Order of Canada recipients, distinguished lawyers, and other great thinkers. Our attendees have come away with a greater appreciation for the issues discussed, and also the institution that is Hart House.

I want to expand the topics of our events to include more diverse audiences by incorporating fields such as the arts or the environment. I hope to make the committee more accessible by promoting membership opportunities to a wider student population.

Thank you for your time.

Mika Embury and Edie Guo/ Farm Committee (co-chair)

Joint Statement: Over the past two years, we have served as executive members of the Farm Committee. Edie has served as Co-chair and Mika as Communications Representative. This academic year we have seen the growth of the club: there is more diversity among executive representatives, more collaboration with external clubs, more themed events that introduced fun cultural workshops, and more events held at Hart House. As promised in last year’s election, this year our committee planned a Farmer’s Market to be held in March of 2018. During our most recent event, Winter Escape, we partnered with three university alumni networks and a local restaurant. The Farm Committee also submitted a net zero energy proposal to Hart House in collaboration with the Engineering and Architecture students. In the next year, we hope to collaborate with more clubs, bring more events to campus, and create more uniquely themed events.

Yuki Takaki / Finance Committee

Personal Statement: This year, as the chair of this committee, I have learned so much more about the committee and I want to keep seeing the committee grow so more people can learn more about finance. Being part of something so great gets me up for every meeting and I hope I can get other members to feel the same way

Xinhe (Angela) Gu / Literary & Library Committee

Personal Statement: My holistic immersion in all aspects of the committee has helped me become a better leader. In addition to organizing the behind-the-scenes and administrative processes such as agenda-making and budget-planning, I have moderated panels, I attend as many of our events as possible, and volunteer at Hart House Library. I have also had the chance to improve my leadership skills through workshops offered by ULife and apply these skills in a meaningful way. I have grown so much through my involvement with the committee, and since joining the committee three years ago, it’s been my goal to share the hidden gem that is Hart House. We connect people to the diverse and dynamic literary world through author talks and interactive writing projects, we make learning accessible. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to the Hart House legacy and would like to continue in my leadership role.

Tiffany Tran / Music Committee

Personal Statement: Because I have experience on the review side and the committee side, as well as helping in the subcommittee of the Music Committee, I see gaps between funding, decisions, resources that the Hart House has. The surveys that the Hart House put out last year was just the beginning of how the hart House can be improved. Coming from a strong background of being the student and being on the clubs review committee, I want a bigger role and say to the decisions of where funding, resources and initiatives that the hart house does. Ultimately, my critical skills, innovative thinking and strong interpersonal skills are sure to make me a strong fit for this role. I truly care about improving efficiency and accessibility to the Hart House to maintain its glorious reputation.

Reuben Alexander and Sophia Mackey / Music Committee (co-chair)

Joint Statement: Hart House was founded as a place of coming together, to go beyond academics and allow for open dialogue and discourse through arts and culture. By being co-chairs of the committee, we can effectively participate in this cause, through overseeing the financials, reviewing activities, and in promoting our love of music. Music has always been a path through which we have expressed ourselves and our being involved in the music committee will permit us to create, plan, and capitalize on some of our already fantastic initiatives that will encourage creative platforms of expression in students of all academic fields. Although the appreciation that we have for music may not be universally reciprocated, we firmly believe that regardless of one’s talent or exposure to the art, music is capable of bringing people together in ways like nothing else can, and we look forward to promoting this culture as co-chairs of HHMC.

Ally Lu and Olivia Vieira/ Social Justice Committee (co-chair)

Personal Statement: The Social Justice committee’s mandate has always been to support and connect students to organizations in the community to create change and contribute to the causes they are most passionate about. With three years of shared experience on the committee between us, we’ve had the privilege to learn the ins and outs of Hart House Committees. We’ve worked on and alongside amazing event ideas that disrupt spaces and conventional conversations, the way social justice should. We hope to engage students who traditionally do not participate or are not included in these discussions and invite them to the table. We’ve developed a confidence in this committee’s potential and will lay the foundations for strong leadership moving forward. We envision a HHSJC with a focus on education and community service as the best ways to establish the social infrastructure to create change, have important conversations and contribute the community.

Marge de Leon / Social Justice Committee

Personal Statement: Participating in the Hart House Social Justice Committee this year has given me the opportunity to discover the inner workings of Hart House and to learn about networking and organization, all while working with a group of passionate and dedicated people who are so devoted to promoting social justice initiatives in the UofT Community. Throughout my experience, not only have I gained valuable insight on Hart House administrative logistics, I have also learned so much from the different perspectives from our diverse group of executives, and made many friendships in the process.

If elected Chair of the Committee, I will see to it that I use all of the connections that I had fostered, the skills that I obtained along the way, and the commitment of my fellow executives to ensure that there is more interest and participation in our events and creating more awareness of the work we do.